UVic got oustanding post play from Kayla Dykstra and Natalie Janssens on their way to a 72-64 victory against Winnipeg in the final game of Calgary’s Holiday Hoops tournament.
Going 2-1 in the three-day tournament that ran from Dec. 28-30, the Vikes ended the 2009 calendar year 11-5 (4-3 CanWest).
Dykstra put up 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in what continues to be a great year for her (14.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg), as the Vikes took over after a lackluster first quarter, leading the rest of the way.
Janssens, a 6’3” Surry native heralded as the heir to Dykstra’s position in the paint, scored a career-high 18 points while pulling down six rebounds in the win. Camosun transfer Carmen Lapthorne also turned in a solid all-around performance, dishing out four assists and coming up with three steals to go along with her 13 points and six rebounds.
The game wrapped up the Holiday Hoops Tournament, which saw the Vikes split their opening two games. In the opener, Dec. 28, Dykstra was all over the place with 20 points and 10 rebounds to secure a double-double against the University of New Brunswick. After taking a first quarter lead, the Vikes led the Reds by as many as 28, and held the lead for the rest of the game. Dykstra was the only Vikes member in double figures, but it hardly mattered against the overmatched team from the Maritimes.
In the middle game, Dykstra again went nuts on the Calgary Dinos, this time for a new career-high of 35 points in the Calgary native’s homecoming. Guards Debbie Yaboah and Lapthorne also set career benchmarks with 21 points each, as the Vikes shot an oustanding 51 per cent from the field in putting up the highest point total the team has seen in six years.
As good as the Vikes were, Calgary was better, shooting 56 per cent from the field, including 52 per cent from beyond the three-points line. Katie Beard’s 21 points led six Dinos’ players in double digits, as Calgary beat UVic by a score of 103-91.
The Vikes resume their season on Jan. 8 and 9, hosting a weekend series against Brandon and Regina.
The Martlet also reserves the right to use comments in the newspaper.